Three former "Kosovo Liberation Army" commanders transferred to The Hague

A scene in southern Kosovska Mitrovica; Photo: Tanjug

One of the former commanders of the so-called KLA ("Kosovo Liberation Army", Albanian: UCK) Isni Kilaj, former head of the so-called Kosovo intelligence agency and former adviser to Hashim Thaci Bashkim Smakaj, and former member of the so-called KLA Fadil Fazliu, who were arrested yesterday on the order of the Specialist Chambers, have been transferred to the Hague, according to the Pristina press.

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They are suspected of obstructing the administration of justice, and were in the EULEX offices in Kosovo Polje since yesterday.

The Office of the Specialist Prosecutor announced yesterday that it is continuously conducting operations related to the investigative process that focuses on crimes against the judiciary.

Kilaj was also arrested in November of last year on suspicion of obstruction of justice, but was released in May on a 30,000 euro bail. However he is still a suspect and in July the Specialist Prosecutor filed an amended indictment against him.

Last year, by order of the Specialist Chambers, a search of Smakaj's house was carried out. He was an adviser to Hashim Thaci while Thaci was president of the provisional Pristina institutions. Thaci is now on trial in The Hague as one of the former leaders of the so-called KLA, charged with war crimes.

The Pristina media reported yesterday that investigators from the Specialist Chambers searched the house of former Minister of Justice of the Pristina Provisional Institutions Hajredin Kuci, looking for evidence related to intimidation of witnesses or disclosure of information about protected witnesses.

The trial of former leaders of the so-called KLA Hashim Tachi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi is under way in the Hague, where they stand accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)